Sorted
by Persephone21
Summary: Andromeda Black gives some advice to a young Lily Evans and reflects on how her life might have been easier had her own sorting gone differently.


**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling created this world, and I'm merely playing in it.**

**-Sorted-**

Andromeda Black hadn't been this nervous for a sorting since her own six years ago. She'd been certain she'd end up in Hufflepuff and immediately be blasted off the Black family tree—Bellatrix and Narcissa had always thought her too nice for her own good—but, Andromeda needn't have worried. She was sorted into Slytherin, as was expected of her, and if she were to sneak into her mother's drawing room, she'd still find her name stitched between those of her sisters.

But, oh, how she wished things had gone differently that day. Maybe her life would have been simpler. Maybe her decisions would have been easier, sooner.

A hand squeezed her knee in reassurance, bringing Andromeda back to reality.

She turned to smile nervously at the girl sitting beside her, "I'm fine, Emma."

Emmeline Vance, Andromeda's longtime roommate and friend, gave her a knowing look, "Most people might find Andromeda Black hard to read, but I can tell when you're lying."

Andromeda sighed, quickly glancing at the Hufflepuff table and then back at Emma's worried face, "What if he turns out like the rest?"

Emma she shook her head. "He won't," she replied firmly.

Andromeda furrowed her eyebrows, "How do you know?"

Emma gave her an encouraging smile, "You and I turned out okay, didn't we?"

Before Andromeda could comment on their extenuating circumstances, the doors at the back of the Great Hall opened and McGonagall walked in, leading a line of pale, anxious first years. Andromeda's eyes scanned the line quickly and immediately picked him out between a thin boy with messy hair and glasses and a tall girl with her dark hair in a single plait.

"Isn't that your cousin?" came a whisper from a bit farther down the Slytherin table.

Andromeda looked up, but then noticed that the question wasn't directed to her at all, but rather to her sister.

Narcissa Black flipped her white blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled haughtily in reply, "Of course. He's Orion and Walburga's eldest—the heir to the family name."

"It's good to know there will be another Black in Slytherin," replied another boy in Narcissa's year. "Especially since your sis—"

Andromeda quickly looked away, feeling the cool gaze of her sister and her friends on the back of her head.

"Shut your filthy mouth," hissed Narcissa. "You know _nothing_."

Emmeline nudged her shoulder, letting her know that the Sorting Hat had just finished its song.

"Actine, Lorrie," came the crisp voice of Professor McGonagall.

A small girl, looking as if she would burst into tears at any moment, made her way to the stool at the front of the hall. She sat down timidly and McGonagall placed the old Sorting Hat on her head. Almost immediately, it opened its brim wide and shouted a resounding, "_HUFFLEPUFF!_"

Loud cheers came from the direction of the Hufflepuff table as little Lorrie shuffled over. Andromeda turned her gaze to the table and made eye contact with one of Lorrie's housemates. She could feel his intense gaze all the way down to her toes.

Andromeda turned her attention back to McGonagall, hoping no one would notice the slight flush creeping up her neck.

"Careful," whispered Emma, gently. Apparently at least one Slytherin had noticed the quick exchange, but, then again, Emmeline seemed to notice everything.

"Black, Sirius."

Andromeda felt a chill run though her as her favorite cousin made his way nervously to the stool at the front of the hall. A hush seemed to fall over the room—people recognized the name and all the power associated with it. Sirius sat down carefully and seemed to be scanning the room. His eyes met hers and she could see all her own doubts and insecurities mirrored in his gaze. She barely had time to give him a warm smile before McGonagall placed the hat on his head, covering his eyes.

Andromeda held her breath.

The hat seemed to think for a moment—but only a slight moment—before proudly proclaiming Sirius a "_GRYFFINDOR!_"

Andromeda sighed in relief. Ignoring the mutters around her at the Slytherin table, she allowed herself the first grin of the night and almost beamed as Sirius made his way over to the cheering Gryffindors. _He was going to be alright._

Andromeda had always known Sirius was a little different (when he was six, he'd asked her why he was supposed to hate muggles and told her it wasn't fair that they couldn't have magic too), but she'd worried that he'd lose his childhood innocence once he was dragged into the politics of Hogwarts. But he'd been sorted into _Gryffindor_. Andromeda smirked, imagining how displeased her aunt and uncle would be.

Andromeda paid little attention to the rest of the sorting; her relief was almost tangible, and it made her a little reckless. She glanced at the Hufflepuff table thrice more during the feast, and she and Emmeline clapped much more loudly at the conclusion of Professor Dumbledore's speech than the rest of their housemates.

Emmeline stood at Dumbledore's dismissal, adjusting the gleaming Head Girl badge on her chest. "Are you ready to shepherd some first years, Dromeda?" she asked unenthusiastically.

Andromeda, made a prefect this year with Emma's appointment, let out a heavy sigh, "I suppose."

Emma gave her a knowing smile, "How about I lead them down to the common room while you stay here to collect any stragglers?"

Andromeda caught on and smiled widely, "You're the best, Emma."

"And you're predictable," Emma laughed. "Shall I wait up?"

Andromeda glanced around her quickly, then shot Emma a sly grin, "We'll see."

Once Emma was gone, leading the overwhelmed Slytherin first years to their common room, Andromeda shooed a few lingering third year girls out of the hall. One shot her a dirty look and Andromeda wondered if she listened to the gossip that had been going around the house. Not that Andromeda cared about her reputation all that much anymore.

"I can't believe you're a _Gryffindor_!" said a disappointed voice, interrupting Andromeda's thoughts and dripping with loathing at the last word.

Andromeda whipped around, expecting to see her sister lecturing her cousin.

However, the scene in front of her did not include any member of the Black family, and the disapproving voice was assuredly not female.

"Leave it _alone_, Sev!" replied a red-headed girl, crossing her arms stubbornly.

A small black-haired boy frowned, "Why didn't you choose Slytherin?"

The girl appeared frustrated and almost on the verge of tears, "It's not as if I had a choice! Besides, how do you know I even _wanted_ to be a Slytherin?"

When the boy looked ready to argue further, Andromeda stepped in. "Excuse me," she began calmly, "Do you two need help getting to your common rooms?"

The two jumped at the sound of her voice and turned to her with wide eyes. She smiled kindly at them both.

The girl, looking relieved at not having to continue her discussion with her friend, spoke up quickly, "Yes, please. I'm a muggle-born, so I'm a little lost."

Andromeda nodded and then looked to the boy. He shook his head and, giving the girl one last imploring look, hurriedly left the hall.

Andromeda turned back to the girl and held out her hand, "I'm Andromeda Black."

The girl shook it firmly, giving her a grateful smile, "Lily Evans."

"I take it that boy is a friend of yours?" questioned Andromeda, her curiosity piqued by their exchange.

Lily frowned sadly, "My best friend. We met before we came to Hogwarts."

"Is he a muggle-born too?"

She shook her head, and then lifted her jaw defiantly, "But there's no difference, anyways. Shouldn't we all be treated the same?"

Andromeda smiled at her spirit, "You're absolutely right, Lily. I have a friend who's muggle-born and he's one of the—"

"Most attractive and intelligent blokes at Hogwarts," finished a voice from behind them.

Andromeda's heart immediately sped up, and, without turning around, she smiled. "He's quite humble too."

A handsome Hufflepuff, his uniform wrinkly and disheveled, laughed loudly as he joined Andromeda and Lily at the back of the Great Hall. It was now empty, and there was nothing to stop Andromeda from grinning widely at his arrival. He shot her a lazy smile before turning to Lily who was watching amusedly.

"Ted Tonks," he took Lily's hand without preface and shook it enthusiastically, "Your hair is a rather brilliant shade of red, did you know?"

Lily blushed slightly, "I'm Lily Evans."

Dropping her hand, he leaned in closer and whispered conspiratorially, "Is Andromeda here keeping you from going to your common room?"

Lily shook her head, still slightly embarrassed by Ted's forwardness.

Ted stood and gave Andromeda a knowing look, "Is she a Gryffindor too?"

Andromeda nodded sheepishly, "I won't be long."

Ted turned back to Lily abruptly and winked at her, "Don't tell Miss Black, but I believe you might be just as pretty as she is."

Lily gaped, and Andromeda laughed, hitting him lightly on the arm.

"What?" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm gently as if Andromeda had actually hurt him. "I _meant_ Narcissa!"

"You're scaring the poor girl," Andromeda scolded.

Ted turned back to Lily, "Am I scaring you?" She nodded truthfully, and Ted let out a dramatic sigh, "I suppose I'll let you two get back to talking about whatever it is you were talking about."

He kissed Andromeda on the cheek. "I'll see you soon?" He asked with a more serious tone.

She nodded, a fond smile playing on her lips as he gave Lily another wink, "A pleasure, Miss Evans."

Saluting Andromeda meaningfully, he waltzed out of the hall. Andromeda couldn't help but watch his retreating back. How she ever thought she could live without him, she didn't know.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Lily asked shyly.

Andromeda looked back to the young girl and smiled, "Yes, he is." Then she leaned down and with a serious voice continued, "But you can't tell anyone."

Lily nodded earnestly, "I won't. Promise."

"Good," Andromeda stood tall and straightened her uniform. "Let's get you to Gryffindor Tower, then."

As they began to climb the moving staircases, Andromeda explained how they tended to complicate getting from one side of the castle to another. "It's always best to allot plenty of time to get to your classes, just in case."

Lily nodded, looking in wonder at the moving portraits all along the stairs, "What happens if you're late?"

"Most teachers will let you off, especially since you're a first year. The worse a stricter professor would do is give you a detention."

Lily's eyes widened, and Andromeda could imagine the scenarios running through her head—fighting a werewolf, entertaining ghosts, cleaning the entire castle. Andromeda quickly reassured her, "But detentions are nothing to worry about; my sister used to get them all the time."

"The one Ted mentioned? Narcissa?" Lily asked curiously.

Andromeda laughed, "Narcissa would never get a detention. I was actually talking about my other sister, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix, who had only graduated a few years before, had been known for openly disrespecting Dumbledore's authority and hexing the innocent. As such, she spent quite a lot of time in detentions, and Andromeda was certain she would have been expelled if not for her family name and money.

Andromeda hadn't seen her eldest sister since she left Hogwarts—she'd immediately joined a group of radicals, and, because they'd parted on less than friendly terms, they hadn't exchanged a single letter.

Andromeda had never felt more distant from her family. All she had left, really, was her young cousin.

"Have you met a boy named Sirius?" she asked. "He would have been sorted into Gryffindor with you."

"I think we met on the train." Lily's eyes darkened, "He was rather rude to me and Sev."

Andromeda laughed affectionately, "That sounds like Sirius. He's quite the cheeky little git nowadays. He's my cousin," she explained

"I'm sorry," Lily muttered, and then looked up in alarm, "I didn't mean—I shouldn't have—"

Andromeda waved off her apologies, smiling, "It's alright, I'm sure he probably deserves it."

Lily blushed and they continued on in silence for a while. Finally, when they'd reached the portrait hole, Lily quietly spoke up again, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," replied Andromeda easily.

"Are you and Ted keeping your relationship secret because you're a Slytherin?"

Andromeda furrowed her eyebrows at Lily's astuteness and her bluntness in asking, "That's definitely a part of it." She sighed, "Slytherin is a complicated house."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked. "A boy on the train told me he'd leave if he got sorted into Slytherin. Is it that bad?"

"Slytherin has good bits and bad bits, just like every other house," Andromeda began slowly. "But, Slytherins . . ." she hesitated, wondering if it would be best to let Lily discover these hard truths on her own. "Well . . . let's just say we're not a very tolerant bunch. You know how you said earlier that muggle borns shouldn't be treated any differently from every one else? Well, I agree with you, but there are many in my house who don't."

"So, Slytherins are bad people?"

"Not exactly," Andromeda sighed, knowing she wasn't doing a good job of explaining. "My best mate, for example, is a Slytherin, but she's the Head Girl and has a good heart."

"Severus has a good heart too," Lily defended, a slight frown on her face.

"I don't doubt it." Andromeda decided all of the sudden that it might be beneficial for Lily to learn the truth sooner rather than later. She knelt so she could look her in the eye, "Lily, someday your friend is going to be faced with a very difficult choice."

"How do you know?" Lily asked stubbornly, almost accusatorily.

Andromeda gave her a small, sad smile, "Because I had to make the same choice myself."

Lily's eyebrows shot up, "What did you choose?"

"A muggle-born with poor manners and a big mouth," Andromeda smiled fondly and then shook her head, "But enough of that." She stood and gestured to the large portrait of The Fat Lady, "This is the entrance to Gryffindor Tower; you merely tell the portrait your password and she'll let you in."

Lily nodded in understanding and then looked up at Andromeda. "Thank you," she whispered, and Andromeda knew she was thanking her for more than just the guidance to her common room.

Andromeda's eyes softened, "Anytime, Lily. _Ecce Magi._"

"Welcome," said The Fat Lady as Andromeda spoke the password. The portrait opened revealing a wide passage behind it.

Lily smiled one last time and had just begun to crawl through the hole when Andromeda stopped her, "If you happen to see Sirius tonight, I'd really appreciate it if you told him I was thinking about him."

Lily's nose scrunched in displeasure at the idea of having to talk to Sirius, but agreed anyways.

Andromeda watched her disappear into her common room, and then she began making her way to a certain classroom on the fourth floor where she'd hopefully find someone waiting for her.

As she walked, Andromeda replayed her conversation with Lily Evans in her mind. She saw a certain parallel between her situation and that of Lily's friend, and she wondered if he'd be able to make the same decisions she had. But, she knew no matter what he choose, their friendship was not going to be easy. It was still a constant battle for Andromeda—she had yet to find a balance between her identity as a Black in Slytherin and her love for a muggle born boy.

At least, she reflected, her cousin would have it far easier. In Gryffindor Sirius would be surrounded with good friends and good influences. He would certainly still have a choice to make as well, but she knew he'd be okay.

Andromeda had been wondering for years why she'd been sorted into Slytherin. She wasn't like the rest—cold, conniving, ambitious. Andromeda had always thought herself a rather warm, caring person. Sure, she carried herself with a bit of pride, but it was hard not to when she'd been brought up to think her last name entitled her to power and success.

But, wasn't everything supposed to happen for a reason?

Andromeda had no way of knowing whether or not she'd still have fallen in love with Ted had her sorting gone differently. And that was the one part of her present that Andromeda had no thoughts of changing. Sure, things might have been easier, but they might not have been better.

Andromeda didn't realize she had made it to the fourth floor until a hand reached out of the shadows and snatched her by the waist. Strong hands pulled her hips forward and warm lips skimmed her neck.

Andromeda let out a sigh of contentment and let her hands run through Ted's perpetually mussed hair.

"Have I ever told you how sexy this sneaking around stuff is?" Ted murmured in her ear, his voice husky.

She laughed, and pushed Ted into the shadows until his back hit the wall, "Too bad it's not going to last much longer," she replied, her hands moving to his chest.

He pulled back, alarmed, "It's not?"

She smiled and shook her head. She leaned forward, her lips just barely brushing against his. "I'm a Black, and a Slytherin."

Ted furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion, "I know?"

"I come from a family of prejudice and privilege," she continued, suddenly sure. "But I love _you_."

Ted's eyes widened, "Oh." They had yet to exchange those three little words.

Andromeda smiled, "And now, I honestly couldn't give a damn about the rest."

Without further ado, she pressed her lips against his. And she never looked back.

* * *

**A/N: I have so many feelings for Andromeda Black-Tonks, and this story has been swimming around in my head for quite a while. I love parallels, and I couldn't help but see the similarities between Ted-Andromeda and Lily-Snape. Believe me, I will ship James&Lily until my dying day, but I think the 'what-if' situation is fun to play around with. The timeline might be a little twisted, but I think it works; in this story Andromeda is only a year older than Narcissa which means she'd be a seventh year when the Marauders+Lily&Snape came to Hogwarts. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and feedback, as always, is wonderful!**


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